Best Action Cameras (2025), Tested and Reviewed

Compare Our Top Pick Action Cameras

The B-Roll

Some of our erstwhile picks stay bully cameras, though their features lag down much caller releases.

DJI's Osmo Action 4 Camera for $225: The Action 4 is simply a fantastic enactment camera. The magnetic mounting strategy is the champion we've tried, the paper strategy makes switching betwixt modes a snap, and the resulting photos and video are great. The Action 5 trumps it successful a fig of ways, but if you're connected a budget, this is an awesome camera and it integrates good into the DJI ecosystem.

All those inexpensive cameras connected Amazon: Readers often ask, wherefore walk $400 connected a GoPro erstwhile they tin get a camera with 4K video for $100? It's a just question, and the reply comes down to software, chiefly representation stabilization. Action cameras are designed to beryllium strapped to helmets oregon clipped to your thorax portion you skydive, stone climb, and contention done the metropolis connected a scooter. Without stabilization, the results are thing adjacent your closest friends won't beryllium through. So yes, you'll get 4K footage with the cheaper cams, but it'll beryllium footage nary 1 wants to see. In our view, you're amended disconnected spending different $100 for an older GoPro (Hero 10 oregon 11) connected sale.

Best Accessories to Trick Out Your Camera

Once you person an enactment camera, you're bully to spell for astir usage cases. GoPro, Insta360, and DJI each supply helmet mounts and different ways to instrumentality your camera wherever you privation it. But determination are immoderate bully extras that tin marque getting that changeable you're dreaming of adjacent easier. Here are a few:

A bully microSD card: You whitethorn get an SD paper with your camera. Insta360's SD cards are beauteous bully actually, but I thin to usage SanDisk's Extreme Pro cards due to the fact that they're accelerated and, arsenic a bonus, waterproof. You tin prime up a 512-GB paper for astir $60. I besides similar Samsung's Pro Plus microSD cards, which are a small faster successful my tests. You tin drawback a 256-GB for astir $60.

GoPro Media Mod for $80: GoPro's dependable is OK retired of the box, but if you privation higher-quality audio, this is wherever you start. Not due to the fact that the Media Mod produces large sound—it's amended than the camera, but inactive not great. What if offers is simply a microphone jack. Plug successful a high-quality microphone and you'll yet person awesome sound. (Not recommended portion skydiving.)

Handlebar/seatpost/pole equine for $40: This is my favourite equine for upland biking, but it'll besides enactment connected skis poles and immoderate different circular entity you privation to clamp it to.

Motorcycle accessory bundle for $50: If you ride, this equine for Insta360 cameras (Ace Pro, X5, etc) is simply a must-have. It's 1 of the astir unafraid clamps I've ever used, astir arsenic bully arsenic a seat vice.

Yallsame tripod equine for $10: Action cameras connection galore ways to equine them, but 1 that's curiously missing is the accepted quarter-inch tripod screw mount. The GoPro Hero 13 has one, but this three-pack of adapters solves the occupation for the others.

Polarizer and ND filters: If you sprout astir water, done glass, oregon successful immoderate different high-glare situation, a polarizing filter volition assistance chopped that glare. Neutral density (ND) filters clasp backmost airy to fto you sprout astatine a wider aperture successful agleam light, helping to summation the magnitude of question blur. Both are large additions to your enactment camera kit. If you person the Hero 13 Black you tin get the caller GoPro ND filter Four-Pack ($70), which automatically adjusts the camera settings erstwhile attached. This is immense since getting the shutter velocity close with ND filters tin instrumentality immoderate proceedings and error. The GoPro ND filters grip each that for you. If you don't person a HEro 13, I've tested and similar DJI's ND filter acceptable for the Action 5 ($75). For older GoPros, I similar Freewell's polarizing and ND filters ($20). I suggest starting with an 8-stop ND oregon combo ND and polarizing filter.

Floaty for $35: Another 1 for the h2o shooters, but good worthy the wealth since it'll support your GoPro from ending up astatine the bottommost of the sea. I haven't tried it, but here's 1 for DJI Action 5 ($15) and 1 for the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 ($20).

Selfie instrumentality for $25: I've tested a batch of selfie sticks and they're astir each fine, but I support grabbing this Insta360 mentation erstwhile I caput retired the door. It's lightweight, tiny capable to acceptable astatine the bottommost of my bag, and it's affordable. If you privation to spell big, this Insta360 Extended Edition Selfie Stick ($100) tin imitate a low-flying drone, cleanable for usage successful nationalist parks and different places wherever drones are forbidden.